Owl rescued from Plymouth soccer net

Fencing crew spotted him on school grounds.

Fencing crew spotted him on school grounds.

July 17, 2008|By ANITA MUNSON Tribune Staff Writer

PLYMOUTH -- One unlucky great horned owl has some humans to thank for his life this week. Jordan Smith, of Akron, and Nick Smith and Zach Rockhill, both of Warsaw, were assigned to work outside Jefferson Elementary School in Centennial Park on Wednesday morning by Custom Fencing out of Warsaw, they said. "When we showed up, there he was," Jordan Smith said of the owl they saw tangled in the soccer net on the school grounds. "He (the owl) was pretty freaked out," Rockhill added. "We think it must have happened earlier this morning," Jordan Smith explained, noting the bird had quieted down somewhat since their call to the county's emergency dispatchers shortly after 9 a.m. "We're from out-of-town, so we didn't really know who to call," Rockhill said. Explaining their location for that reason was a little difficult, too, but the workers were able to give the names of the streets from the corner signs, eventually guiding responders to the proper location. Plymouth police were dispatched to the scene because Department of Natural Resources officers, who normally would have taken the call, were not available. Investigator Steve DeLee donned heavy gloves and pulled a small, yellow tarp from his police car. "Boy, he really is knotted up here," DeLee said to the young fencing workers. "Good thing you made the call." "If we cover his eyes, he won't get so upset," DeLee explained, moving the tarp over the bird. Patrolman Ted Brown rolled up on his bicycle and began cutting the netting away from the bird. The owl was fluttering one wing, but the other was entirely caught up in the netting. "Has anyone called the (Marshall County) Humane Society?" Brown asked. "Cindy Barenie is on her way," DeLee answered. "She'll take the owl to a rehab facility." Patrolwoman Shelley Church pulled out her knife and, like Brown, began cutting away the string as DeLee tried to keep the owl as still as possible. The fencing workers watched, commenting they hoped the bird would be all right. The entire rescue took no more than 15 minutes. Barenie showed up, and the freed bird was gently placed in an animal carrier for a trip to the rehab center, where any injuries will be inspected and treated. "Oh, poor boy," Barenie said as the bird was placed in the carrier. She placed lightweight towels over the carrier to shield the bird's view to assure as peaceful a ride as possible. "You could really feel the strength" of the owl's talons, DeLee said as he put away his gloves. "He was really strong. If my arm had been a mouse, he would have killed it instantly, even tangled up like he was." Staff writer Anita Munson: amunson@sbtinfo.com (574) 936-2920